The Promise (Darkest Lies Trilogy Book 2), Bethany-Kris [top 50 books to read .txt] 📗

Already blinking back at him, a familiar warm gaze glimmered. For a few moments, her pupils shifted from side to side, confusion tugging at her brow, but then she saw him.

That pink in her cheeks reddened. Visible happiness reflected in her clear, wide eyes, and it damn near took his breath away.

“You’re back,” Karine whispered, smiling wide.

“Yeah, babe,” Roman replied, ignoring the inner emotional war that started to rage. “Of course, I am. I promised.”

TEN

Karine had never been to Vermont before, but because Roman said it’s where it was best to be—well, she knew she was safe. Not that she understood why they were there in the first place. Those unanswered questions were easier to ignore when he was around, though.

She was less muddled, then, not so overwhelmed by everything and everyone. More sure of herself—her feet had finally found steady ground to stand on when he was next to her.

And that was terrifying.

Vermont was beautiful. Woodlands and small county towns had guided their arrival to the private property owned by Roman’s family. Or so he explained to her when she gained the courage to ask during the drive. She couldn’t remember the last time she heard birds chirping in trees, but given the leaves had changed to bright yellows, oranges, and fire-reds, she didn’t think swooping swallows dancing between branches would be around for long.

Lost in the beauty of the trail surrounding a serene lake that Karine thought might be nice for a swim if it was a bit warmer, she had never been ... calmer. Happier, even. That had a lot to do with the man walking alongside her, his hand woven with her own.

“I do miss the pool,” Karine said quietly.

She felt Roman’s gaze slide her way at the admission, but she continued observing the quiet state of the lake. The pool in her father’s house was the one thing she sincerely missed about Chicago—probably the only thing—but she didn’t mind as much at the moment.

“Well, it’s a little cold to be swimming in that, but another time,” Roman said, tugging on her hand as the trail cut into a fork—one path leading up to the front porch of the lakehouse while the other continued around the water’s edge. “If you want to come back, maybe.”

She didn’t reply, but she liked the sound of it. He led her on the path heading to the looming lodge with large panel windows that formed into a high triangle where the peak of the roof reached for the cloudless, blue sky.

On the porch, Karine stood next to Roman with her hands tight around the charcoal-stained banister as she peered out at the lake. She glanced at him, taking in his strong profile with his sharp nose. His dark beard was neatly trimmed again, and his white silk shirt clung to his perfectly chiseled torso. He’d left the top two buttons of the shirt undone so she could enjoy the way his throat bobbed with every swallow.

No man had ever made her feel this way—just standing beside him was a test of her control, the goosebumps were already dancing over her skin from his proximity—and she knew what she wanted from him next.

Honesty.

“Can you tell me why we’re here, Roman? What we’re really doing?”

He turned away from the view of the lake to meet her gaze, and she knew it, then. He planned to give her exactly what she wanted.

“I’ve brought you here because this is the only way I know how to keep you safe,” he said, never once breaking her stare as the truth came out. “There are people who might come after you—who are probably already looking for you. They’ll come after both of us, but my priority right now is you.”

Karine’s reply was as soft as the sound of her racing heart, “You mean Dima.”

Roman nodded. “You were promised to him. We both know that means something. I can bet they’re not happy you’re gone, but I can’t say for sure whether or not they know you’re with me at the moment.”

Karine sighed into the sweet, fresh air that surrounded them, willing the fears starting to swirl in her mind to disappear. What else could she do? “Okay.”

She hadn’t expected Roman to reach for her without warning, but she didn’t even flinch when his fingers brushed against her cheek as he pushed back some of the hair that had fallen across her face. As he pulled his hand away, he grazed the very tip of her nose with the pad of his thumb, saying quietly, “It’s not entirely okay, but I am trying to make it that way, babe.”

Yeah, Karine knew.

She was calm again—just like that. All it took was the sweep of his thumb, tender and quick, to stop her racing heart.

“This is the place I can keep you safe,” he added after a moment, “and where you don’t have to worry about a thing while I do it.”

She replied with a jerky nod before looking out at the lake again. A rowing boat bobbed in the water next to a small dock, a canoe, too. The fleeting—but still undeniable—thought of how easy it would be to take one of those boats out to the middle of the lake, and finish everything that stabbed through Karine’s mind at the sight. Her next breath came out shaky at the dark truth she wished wouldn’t fill her thoughts with self-hating hisses of it’s true; you’re useless, a burden.

She didn’t want to die, but none of her thoughts were a lie, either. Things could be a lot simpler; everyone’s hands would finally be washed of her.

Karine even wondered if anyone would miss her.

The man beside her quickly reminded her that someone would when he murmured her name, drawing her attention once more.

“Karine,” Roman said firmly. She met his eyes, hoping he couldn’t see how mean her own mind could be staring back at him in the tears that formed when she blinked.